N.J. trooper's death highlights 'very real problem' of suicide in law enforcement

WALL TOWNSHIP — Corrections officer Gregory Cirillo was on his way to the police academy in Sea Girt Wednesday morning when he saw a State Police car on the side of a Garden State Parkway offramp in Wall Township.

"I noticed the driver’s side window was broken," Cirillo said. "That was the sign something was wrong."

He pulled over and found Trooper Scott Graham, 35, slumped in the front seat. Cirillo said he ran around to the passenger side, opened the door and called for help on the car’s radio.

Dozens of police officers descended on the scene, cordoning off the parkway exit as helicopters buzzed overhead. The Middlesex County medical examiner later said Graham died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Wednesday marked the second time in little more than a week that the State Police has mourned the death of one of its own. On June 6 Trooper Marc Castellano, a 29-year-old father of two, was struck and killed by a car on the shoulder of Route 195 in Howell, just five miles away from where Graham died.

Authorites have charged a Blackwood woman with indirectly causing his death by sending police on a wild goose chase for a nonexistent suspect.

"The tragic death of Trooper Graham today deepens the wound that the New Jersey State Police family suffered from the recent death of Trooper Castellano," State Police Supt. Rick Fuentes said. "We are again offering our support to another family coping with a tragic end to a loved one’s life."

Authorities said Graham, a Keyport resident, was a nine-year trooper who spent the last two years as an instructor at the Sea Girt academy. He leaves behind his wife and three young children, State Police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones said.

Wednesday afternoon, a trooper was parked outside the Keyport home of Graham’s relatives. Neighbors described him as "a wonderful husband and father."

As police descended on the scene of Graham’s death, early reports suggested another person left the area in a vehicle with bullet holes. Police briefly locked down an elementary school in Old Bridge almost 30 miles away as a precaution, but the State Police said the reports were inaccurate and no suspects are being sought.

A January 2009 report from a state task force said police officers face higher risks of suicide than the general public because of job-related stress and access to firearms.

"Suicide is a very real problem for law enforcement officers and their families," the report said. "Most studies have shown that the number of officer lives lost to suicide exceeds those killed in the line of duty."

Prior to Wednesday, three New Jersey law enforcement officers and three retired officers had taken their own lives this year, according to the counseling organization Cop2Cop. Last year, 13 officers, three of them retired, committed suicide.

Authorities have taken steps to address the problem. Paul Loriquet, spokesman for the attorney general, said all new police officers in the state will receive suicide prevention training starting next month. Jones said the State Police has its own prevention program for new and current troopers.

Maryann Spoto, Bob Considine and Local News Service reporter Brent Johnson contributed to this report.